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CHRONICLING LEGAL CANNABIS IN MINNESOTA

By Matt DeLong

In this week's Nuggets: A year after his first pick resigned, Gov. Tim Walz hasn't interviewed any new candidates for permanent cannabis director; Minnesota Poll finds most voters back federal legalization, but few report using pot; a judge has dismissed homegrowers' lawsuit seeking to legally sell their cannabis; White Earth Nation prepares for product expansion, wholesale retail sales; a Minneapolis hemp store won’t be able to operate as a dispensary under city's draft zoning rules; Stearns County commissioners review proposed cannabis ordinances; Alexandria weighs changes to cannabis licensing; and Goodhue County will hold a hearing on its cannabis ordinance.

A year after his first pick resigned, Walz hasn't interviewed any new cannabis director candidates: It’s been one year since Gov. Tim Walz’s first pick to lead the state’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) resigned abruptly amid questions about her past business dealings, Ryan Faircloth reports. Charlene Briner, a state government veteran, has been leading the cannabis office on an interim basis for more than a year now, and the work to set up the new industry is well underway. The governor’s office announced in January there would be a new national search for a cannabis director led by the state’s budget office. A slate of candidates emerged from that second search and were forwarded to the governor’s office earlier this year, but Walz hasn’t interviewed any of them, according to his public schedules. A spokeswoman for the governor told the Minnesota Star Tribune on Sept. 13 that “we have made a choice not to disrupt the work in progress by changing leadership at this time.” Read more.

Minnesota Poll finds most voters back federal marijuana legalization, but few report using pot: “Six in 10 Minnesotans support federal marijuana legalization even though most said they hadn’t used the drug recently, according to a new poll. The Star Tribune/MPR News/KARE 11 Minnesota Poll found that 61% of respondents support legalizing recreational marijuana for adults nationwide while 34% oppose it,” Ryan Faircloth reports. Read more. (No paywall.)

Judge dismisses homegrowers’ lawsuit seeking to legally sell their cannabis: “[Ramsey County] District Court Judge Edward Sheu dismissed the claim brought by three medical cannabis patients and one non-medical patient who are legally growing up to eight cannabis plants at home under the new law. In Eric Rech v. Charline Briner, the four argued that a state constitutional provision blocks the state from requiring they be licensed to sell the excess cannabis from their plants. … But the state attorney general argued, and Sheu agreed, that the case is premature — or in legal terms not ripe — because the state Office of Cannabis Management is in the midst of rulemaking. That means it is possible the rules could allow the type of sale of excess cannabis crop by home growers and therefore the legal challenge would not be necessary,” Peter Callaghan reports for MinnPost. Read more.

White Earth Nation prepares for product expansion, wholesale retail sales: “The White Earth Nation’s cannabis industry has grown exponentially in its first year of operation. The cultivation facility in Mahnomen underwent renovations to expand its product line, which will soon include gummies, tinctures and more. The business’ retail store moved to a more visible location on Highway 59. As the state prepares to see an influx of recreational dispensaries open, the business 40 minutes north of Detroit Lakes is poised to meet demands. Increased production also means more career opportunities in the budding industry,” Barbie Porter reports for the Detroit Lakes Tribune. Read more.

Minneapolis hemp store won’t be able to operate as a dispensary under city's draft zoning rules: “When Josh and Tess Fellman opened Flipside, an East Harriet store that sells Delta-9 and CBD products, late last year, they weren’t too concerned about their future selling cannabis. They had every intention of turning their store into a cannabis dispensary but their primary concern was getting to know the neighborhood. … Now the Fellmans are rushing against the clock as newly released zoning regulations put their store just outside of a ‘CM2’ business district where a cannabis dispensary can operate. The cannabis dispensary zoning regulations follow the City’s liquor store regulations established in the 1950s,” Melody Hoffman reports for SW Voices. The Minneapolis Planning Commission is set to hold a public hearing on the city’s draft cannabis regulations (read a summary here) at 4:30 p.m. Monday. Read more.

Stearns County commissioners review proposed cannabis ordinances: "Stearns County is one step closer to having a clear plan to regulate the legal selling of cannabis. Commissioners reviewed two proposed ordinances regarding zoning and registration for cannabis businesses during their Monday, Sept. 23, meeting. The county has proposed handling cannabis regulation with two components: rezoning and registration, according to Angie Berg, county land use supervisor,” Lauren Breunig reports for St. Cloud Live. Read more.

Alexandria weighs changes to cannabis licensing: "Alexandria is looking into making changes to its ordinance for the licensing of cannabis businesses. At its Monday night meeting, the Alexandria City Council tabled the issue, which would provide a regulatory framework for land uses in response to new state laws that legalized adult-use cannabis. The council plans to talk about the licensing at its next work session. … Alexandria’s proposed amendments focus on permitted cannabis business locations, zoning ordinance definitions and standards as well as distance requirements,” Al Edenloff reports for the Alexandria Echo Press. Read more.

Goodhue County to hold hearing on cannabis ordinance: “Goodhue County has scheduled a public hearing on its proposed ordinance regulating cannabis retail procedures, enforcement and use of cannabis products in public places. The ordinance will regulate cannabis in areas of the county outside the cities. Although no cities have formally given the county the authority to regulate cannabis in their city, Cannon Falls, Zumbrota, Wanamingo and Bellechester have indicated that they will be delegating that authority to the county in their cities, according to Samantha Pierret, interim Land Use Management director. The cities have until the end of November to let the county know,” Lisa Kaczke reports for the Republican Eagle. Read more.

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Carl in Crow Wing sent us this shot of a Gorilla Cookies plant from FastBuds, six weeks into the flowering stage. It's growing in Sunshine Mix #4 with Dr. Earth amendments under a Spider Farmer SF400 light, Carl writes. Thanks for sharing!

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Oct. 2 (Wed.): Minnesota Homegrower Meet-up - "We welcome anyone at any stage and skill levels in the home grow process, and look forward to spreading knowledge with you!" 6 - 8 p.m. House of Oilworx, 1919 2nd Av., Anoka. More info. 

Oct. 4-6 (Fri.-Sun.): Disc N Dog's "Southern Aces Run" - A charity benefit featuring a disc golf tournament, camping, lots of activities and vendors. Camp Maiden Rock West, 24505 Jackson Av., Morristown. More info.

Oct. 5 (Sat.): Minne Organix Fall October Fest - "Come celebrate the season with us and enjoy great samples, education from vendors, and wonderful community vibes." 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Minne Organix, 1900 80th St., Victoria. More info. 

Find more cannabis-related events at mnweedevents.com.

Got questions about cannabis? 

Send them to us and we'll do our best to answer as many as we can in future newsletters.